Top 10 drum intros of ALL TIME!

My top 10 songs with fantastic drum intros. This is a bit different to most of these top 10 drum intro songs on the web - I’ve gone specifically just for songs that feature the drums CRASHING in at the beginning of the song, however briefly.

1. The Cure - Why Can't I Be You
2. Van Halen - Hot For Teacher
3. Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick
4. The Cure - In Between Days
5. Led Zeppelin - Rock & Roll
6. Spin Doctors - Two Princes
7. Sweet - Ballroom Blitz
8. Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
9. Toto - Rosanna
10. Blur - Song 2

This all started a few days ago when I was doing my review of Boyfriend by Alphabeat. A song that although not quite worthy of this top ten does feature a good strong drum intro. As a drummer (not a good one, I haven't played regularly in years!) I’ve got a particular love of good drumming and songs with good drum solos. I've also probably listened to many songs I don't really like purely for the drumming, Los Endos by Genesis springs to mind.

There are a few exceptions from the list because they didn't CRASH in as I would like, plus my list started as a top 19 so I needed to trim. Lost in the pruning was the excellent My Sharona (not quite ridiculous enough intro) and the mind blowing Money for Nothing (doesn't crash in and more of a genuine solo than just an intro).

I make no excuse for the Cure appearing twice, they don't appear in top tens enough!

While looking for these tunes I also came across some that didn't meet my strict criteria because they start with a vocal or spoken word, therefore I’ve made another table.

Top 3 tunes with drums crashing in immediately after a brief vocal / spoken lyric:

1. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty)
2. The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
3. The Bloodhound Gang - The Bad Touch

Alphabeat - Boyfriend single review

I discovered this track in a way I’ve never discovered a track before. No it's nothing strange, weird or dodgy I just saw the video on the Hits and was hooked on this delicious slice of europop.



This is an alternate video i think, the original one was different.

RIP The Hits

Now I know you may be thinking that sounds like a fairly regular and normal way to find a track but I rarely watch the Hits, and when I do it's because I see 'top 20 of the eighties'. If I see 'the UK top 20 rundown' in the TV listing I run a mile. Also I’ve had so many appalling accidents where I’ve flicked over and found myself watching 'Boyzone's favourite 50 ballads' or 'Westlife's favourite 50 ballads' that I now subconsciously skip Freeview channel 18. I've just this second done a quick Google search for the channel number and I’ve now discovered it's no longer called the Hits but 4 Music so maybe I can give it another go... Well that means I can confidently say I discovered this track in a way I never will again.

Any track that crashes in with a drum beat has my attention, The Cure's Why Can't I Be You, Money For Nothing, Van Halen's Hot For Teacher, in fact I got so carried away with this line of thought that I went off and wrote a post purely about great tunes that begin with drums crashing in.

My favourite Christmas present of the 90s

The hundreds of cassette tapes in the video bring back fond memories of the TDK FE 90 that you could buy in packs of 10 for next to nothing in HMV. When it takes a vicious twist and the hot dancers are wrapped in the cassette tape at the end i'm slightly disturbed though.

After this you have the cute little voice and it's all the sort of fun that jumps straight into any good dance floor. In fact I think I’m getting a bit of a crush on Stine Bramsen's voice, much like I did a few years ago on the voice of Sarah Nixey, the singer in Black Box Recorder.

The similarities with Black Box Recorder don't end there for me unfortunately. My vocal love affair was solely restricted to Facts Of Life by Black Box Recorder, I didn't like any of their subsequent releases. I've just listened to all of Alphabeat's single releases from their self titled debut album and none have caught my ear, I think I might just have to own the single and move on..

I hope they surprise me and release another great tune like this one especially if it's got a big drum beat at the beginning.

Facts
Single released August 2008
UK chart position: 49 (So far, downloads only. Physical release 25th Aug)
Original album: This Is Alphabeat \ Buy on Amazon
More info: Wikipedia \ Lyrics \ Official site \ Anders SG interview

Where i have it:
I don't! But will visit iTunes tonight. I'm not quite excited enough to buy the album...

UPDATE: I've since heard their other single 'Fascination' numerous times, have it solidly stuck in my head and have downloaded it. Alphabeat, I take it back, i'm a fan.

The Avalanches (Wham! vs. Digitalism) - Ray of Zdarlight single review

The Avalanches have remixed this Wham! hidden classic, Ray of Sunshine, with some top quality German Electro house, Digitalism's Zdarlight, and the result is a glorious dance floor filler that still has George Michael on lead vocals, thank god for that.

This song is very elusive, the two pages on Last.fm don't seem to work and i can't find a physical release but it is on the Avalanches website apparently (you have to sign in). So for your enjoyment i've given it a video mash up with the original Zdarlight video and a Wham! video of them playing football in China (which had the original Ray of Sunshine over the top).

Me with my new Wham! LP

This song entered my life last week when a lovely lady found the original Wham! Fantastic LP in a charity shop and kindly bought it for me - it cost £2, who needs Ebay?! I do have this album kicking around on cassette somewhere but haven't listened to it in years. The only Wham i have these days is on CD - The Final and the Best Of.

So i gently placed the album on the record player and slowly brought down the needle on the cheese. I jumped straight to the album tracks that i'd forgotton about and I listened to the groovy and addictive Ray of Sunshine. The first line of the chorus has been going round in my head for days:

Sometimes,
You wake up in the morning with the bass line.

And it was when double checking these lyrics online that i stumbled across Ray of Zdarlight.

One of my cheese hobbies has always been trying to find good remixes of Wham! songs. This is because Wham! songs are so great to dance too but they are also intensly cheesy. Sometimes, well most of the time, playing any Wham! at a reasonably trendy party is just one step too far. I can maybe get away with Club Tropicana or some Duran Duran but unless it's a wedding or a pub full of Aussies and Kiwis it's difficult to get the crowd to love Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. Which is sad (in many ways) because George Michael knows how to write a good rhythm and kicking bass line.

This remix very simply puts the cheese that is Wham! over the top of the funky electro of Digitalism and produces a dance tune with an edge of 80s and a licence to be played in the trendiest of clubs, maybe. I love it.

Facts
Single released online only January 2007
Album: Maybe on the rumoured second Avalanches album?
More info: Digitalism MySpace \ Wham! lyrics

Where i have it:
MP3 found on internet. If it appears on a CD be sure to let me know.

Lene Lovich - Lucky Number single review

A quirky punk / new wave song from 1978. Amazingly fresh sounding considering this was first released on the Stiff record label 30 years ago. In fact the only part of this song that really makes me think 70s is Lene Lovich's vocals which are reminiscent of punk girl group The Slits but maybe with less shouting and a drop of Kate Bush. Listen to Lucky Number on Last FM.

Lucky Number was originally the B-side to Lovich's version of I Think We're Alone Now (listen to the Lene Lovich version on Last FM), made famous in the 80s by Tiffany. This single was originally just a demo although was also released as a mail order only single.

After the release of her debut album Stateless the following year, Lucky Number finally made it to the A-side and got its own release. In fact there was a complete switcheroo on the French 12" which featured I Think We're Alone Now on the B-side.

My favourite line of the whole song is and i quote:

"Something tells me Lucky Number's gonna be oweoweoweoweoweowe..."

Yes she really does say that, no phonetics needed. In fact a line that apparently (according to this excellent biog and interview) caused the record label boss to say, "That's the chorus?"

The little guitar riffs throughout this song are so addictive and ripe for sampling. There's also a Slavic Dance Version out there which sounds identical for the first 3 minutes before repeating itself for another two along with some classic 80s synth sounds.

Think of playing this in a set with some Banshees, some Cure and maybe early Spandau Ballet for a proper early 80s goth down.

Facts
Single released February 1979
UK chart position: 3
Original album: Stateless \ Buy on Amazon
More info: Wikipedia \ Discogs \ Lyrics \ Official site

Where i have it:
Track 3, Disc 8, Greatest Hits of the 80s - Album review \ Buy on Amazon

Glass Tiger - Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) single review

Glass Tiger, what a name! Makes you think of glam 80s rock bands with big hair, amps that go up to 11 and groupies in every city. Well mix this image with Wham! and you get the Glass Tiger we're talking about here. A quick Google image search brings up a number of fantastic images, including one with an unglazed tiger. Actually i've just watched the music video -maybe 80% Wham! : 10% Rod Stewart : 10% glam rock. Listen on Last.fm.

This tiger is not made of glass, it is real.

Not to be confused with the Simple Minds classic Don't You (Forget About Me), which is similar only by its obvious 80s-ness and use of brackets in the song title. A great dance floor tune it's the bass line that hooks me into this tune - simple repetitive notes that just go slowly up and down the scales. Maybe not quite in the same league as the kings of the bass line such as Another One Bites the Dust and Blue Monday but deserving of its place in my top 100 tunes with a good bass line (a post for another day).

This Canadian rock band were originally called Tokyo at a time when everyone wanted an oriental name, think Japan, China Crisis, Asia, Wang Chung and Turning Japanese, China Girl, China in Your Hand, One Night in Bangkok, Kashmir (I could continue, i won't) so clearly changed their name to avoid any confusion. Although big cats were popular in the 80s too - Def Leppard.

I had a quick look at the credits for this tune and for the second time this weekend i find i've been ambushed by Bryan Adams without realising it, the Canadian crooner sings backing vocals on this track. The first time he snuck up on me was yesterday as i listened to Mötley Crüe's Dr Feelgood album and found him also doing backing vocals on the track Sticky Sweet. But don't let Robin Hood's little helper take anything away from what is a classic 80s rock tune that needs to be getting more airplay (and air guitaring) on dance floors.

Facts:
Single released October 1986
UK chart position: 29
Original album: Thin Red Line \ Buy on Amazon
More info: Wikipedia \ Discogs \ Lyrics \ Official site

Where i have it:
Track 6, Disc 6, Greatest Hits of the 80s - Album review \ Buy on Amazon

Picture borrowed from this slightly bizarre animal photographing / training website.

Glenn Hoddle & Chris Waddle - Diamond Lights lyrics

Following are the lyrics to that 80s classic by Glenn & Chris (known to most of us as England and Spurs footballers Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle).

After scouring the internet for the lyrics for my Diamond Lights single review i was shocked that i couldn't find them. So i've rectified this travesty and here they are in all their glory.

Diamond Lights lyrics
Artist: Glenn & Chris (Hoddle & Waddle)

Eyes that freeze like ice
Cold electric blue those diamond lights
You were hard as stone
Solid stone, for me

The colours change rearrange my life
Can't explain so afraid tonight

Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always want you
Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always need you
Oh darling

Diamond, diamond lights

Standing in the rain
Cold electric sky no diamond lights
Now i'm on my own
So alone, oh darling

The colours change rearrange my life
Can't explain so afraid tonight

Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always want you
Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always need you
Oh darling

Instrumental: Rocking guitar solo!

Diamond lights cold as ice to me (cold as ice to me)
Diamond lights cold as ice to me

Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always want you
Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always need you

Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always want you
Hoddle: Darling i love you / Waddle: My diamond lights
I'll always need you

Glenn Hoddle & Chris Waddle - Diamond Lights single review

Diamond Lights was one of the cheesiest songs ever released partly due to the fact that it was sung on Top of the Pops by two professional footballers with 80s-tastic mullets and big power suits with rolled up sleeves.

Mars poll of top worst songs: 4th C4 100 worst pop records: 33rd Metro Top 10 worst sport songs: 1st Numerous other random polls: Well up there

The perpetrators of what many will call the worst tune of all time are none other than England 'legends' Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle of course. So bad in fact that it didn't even justify a Wikipedia article or a page of lyrics on ANY of the millions of lyric sites - the link below is to a Wikipedia article I hastily made yesterday and i've written out the lyrics myself (loser).

Now why have i even bothered to review this? Surely i must want this blog to retain a smidgen of integrity?

Well the story began in March of this year, where, as a joke, i played Diamond Lights at a party in order to hopefully get a laugh and a couple of lunatics to pretend to dance like the aforemention sultans (or suntans?) of cool known for the purposes of this single as 'Glenn & Chris'.

What shocked me more than Glenn Hoddle's solo in the middle of the song ("Darling i love you! I will take care of you..."), was the fact that no-one noticed! Admittedly i was doing a set of 80s song but it moulded seamlessly into my set. In fact some people nonchalantly shuffled their feet in time.

Forgetting who sings this and trying to erase the image of the top of the pops performance from your mind, the tune itself sounds like any other classic 80s pop tune ticking all of the following boxes:

• Drum machine
• Ridiculous electric guitar solo
• Singalong chorus
• Drummer with a moustache
• Spinning coloured lights
• Smoke machine

Perhaps that was why nobody left the party? Anyway, this tune is now cemented firmly in my 80s DJ set. I challenge all of you out there to try and slip it into your sets without anyone noticing. Please note I won't take any responsibility for what may happen.

Excitingly Diamond Lights could well be making a comeback in the form of a cover by indie band and Spurs fans the Klaxons. There's been no new news on this for 6 months though so either it's a long recording process or they've realised the damage they might cause - originals are always the best.


Facts:
Single released April 1987
UK chart position: 12
Original album: Glenn & Chris do Pink Floyd and other rock legends
More info: Wikipedia \ Discogs \ Lyrics \ Chris Waddle interview

Where i have it:
Funnily enough i downloaded it from iTunes, it doesn't often appear on classic 80s compilation CDs

Update: I've just been informed by gZa that Glenn & Chris reformed for the follow up single, 'It's Goodbye'. Is it me or does that guitar intro sound a bit like the Top Gun theme tune?